No Password Required Podcast Episode 69 - Sue Serna

Sue Serna - Social Media Security and Governance Leader and Lover of All Beagles

No Password Required Season 7: Episode 2 - Sue Serna

Sue Serna is the CEO and Founder of Serna Social and the former head of global social media at Cargill. She brings more than two decades of experience at the intersection of storytelling, strategy, and security.

In this episode, she shares her journey from business reporter to leading her own consultancy serving companies around the world on social media strategy.

Jack Clabby of Carlton Fields, P.A, joined by guest co-host Rex Wilson of Cyber Florida, welcomes Sue for a candid discussion about the realities of enterprise social media. From managing more than 150 Facebook pages for a single company, to navigating internal politics, agency relationships, and regulatory pressure, Sue explains why social media is far from “free” and why most organizations still under-resource it.

Sue dives deep into the gap between social media teams and cybersecurity departments. She outlines how personal account compromises can escalate into enterprise-level incidents, why governance frameworks matter, and how large organizations can regain control of sprawling digital footprints. Drawing from real-world examples, she argues that social media must be treated like finance or HR, a core business function requiring structure, ownership, and accountability.

The episode wraps with the Lifestyle Polygraph, where Sue reveals her love of Apollo-era space history, debates iconic Philadelphia traditions, and imagines what magical talent her beagle would bring to Hogwarts.

Follow Sue at SernaSocial.com or connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sueserna/

Chapters: 

00:00 Introduction and First Impressions   

02:45 The Evolving Role of Social Media in Corporations   

04:58 Transitioning from Journalism to Social Media  

11:11 Building Social Media from Scratch   

13:00 Becoming a CEO and Founder   

16:28 The Importance of Networking   

16:54 Bridging the Gap Between Social Media and Cybersecurity  

20:51 Real-World Social Media Security Incidents  

28:35 Navigating Internal Conflicts in Social Media  

30:32 The Lifestyle Polygraph Begins   

31:17 Nerd Things That Expose Sue: Space and Harry Potter!  

35:16 Sue’s Love For Beagles  

37:50 Wreckless Intern or Overconfident Executive?  

40:42 Hogwarts and Magical Beagles